About Berkeley-style close
NetBackup requires Berkeley-style close for tape drive device files. The letter b in the file name indicates Berkeley-style close device files.
In Berkeley-style close, the tape position remains unchanged by a device close operation. (Conversely, in AT&T-style close, the drive advances the tape to just after the next end-of-file (EOF) marker.) To establish the correct position for the next tape operation, applications must assume the tape's position after a close. NetBackup assumes Berkeley-style close on Solaris systems.